UK stocks fell on Thursday as political uncertainty and ex-dividends dragged the index back from its highs earlier in the week.
The dwindling prospect of a no-deal Brexit following the prime minister's defeat by Parliament sent the pound to its highest level in a month, which in turn sent the FTSE 100 index down 0.6% to 7,267 points at the close.
Most of the stocks in the top 100 index generate the bulk of their earnings overseas, meaning that it tends to rise when the pound falls and vice...

UK stocks fell on Thursday as political uncertainty and ex-dividends offset the impact of overnight gains on Asian markets.
At 12:45, the benchmark FTSE 100 was 0.6%, or 47 points, lower at 7,264.
LARGE- &amp; MID-CAP MOVERS
Top gainer on the main index was aerospace firm Melrose Industries up 6% to 197p after it said it was trading 'in line' with expectations for 2019 after increasing its half-year revenues and reducing its losses.
Fast-fashion retailer Boohoo was the mid-cap star of the...

Specialist media platform Future sad full-year core earnings was now expected to be 'materially ahead' of expectations following stronger-than-expected growth in core operations in the final quarter for the year.
Full-year earnings (EBITDA) was now expected to be materially ahead of current board expectations, Future said.
Audience continued to perform well across the business, and was a core underpin of the stronger revenue performance, the company said.
The integration of Purch,...

Penny Ladkin-Brand, Executive Director, bought 10,050 shares in the company on the 16th August 2019 at a price of 99.00p. The Director now holds 415,162 shares.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Zillah Byng-Thorne, Chief Executive Officer, bought 9,864 shares in the company on the 16th August 2019 at a price of 1007.00p. The Director now holds 465,659 shares.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Media platform company Future said it had acquired digital media publisher SmartBrief for a total of up to $65m.
SmartBrief, headquartered in Washington DC, is a digital media publisher of targeted business news and information, combining technology and editorial expertise to deliver relevant industry news curated from over 1,500 sources.
The company said the acquisition would 'substantially' boost its presence and market position in the B2B sector and enhance its proprietary technology...

The FTSE 100 closed up 1% at 7,497.50 as in the US the S&amp;P 500 index hit new record levels.
Amid a sea of green, China-related stocks were particularly in favour with JPMorgan Chinese Investment Trust up 7.7% amid optimism on trade relatons between the US and China in the wake of the G20 summit.
Oil prices traded higher after producers' cartel OPEC agreed to extend production cuts out to March 2020 at its meeting in Vienna.
LARGE AND MID CAP RISERS AND FALLERS
Publishing firm Future...

The FTSE 100 gathered momentum by midday, up 1.3% to 7,519.08, as futures markets pointed to a higher open on Wall Street.
This followed Donald Trump's apparently constructive meeting on trade with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit over the weekend.
Amid a sea of green, China-related stocks were particularly in favour with JPMorgan Chinese Investment Trust up 7.7%.
LARGE AND MID CAP RISERS AND FALLERS
Publishing firm Future was up 7.7% as it guided for results for the...

Future said full-year results were expected to be ahead of expectations as positive trends seen in the first half of the year had continued. The company also announced that Penny Ladkin-Brand would commence a new role as Chief Strategy Officer from January next year, stepping down from the role of Chief Financial Officer.
The upbeat performance had been underpinned by good audience growth within the Media division and the continued strong underlying performance of the recent acquisitions,...

The FTSE 100 closed down 0.5% at 7,403.54 as the pound was lifted by rumours of interest rate hikes later this year as the Bank of England prepares to meet tomorrow.
With the US Federal Reserve set to outline their own rate call later, the S&amp;P 500 was broadly flat by 4.30pm UK time.
Magazine publisher Future fell 10%, adding to heavy losses yesterday, following Monday night's publication of a sell note on the company by equity research firm Stockviews.
LARGE AND MID CAP RISERS AND...

The FTSE 100 was down 0.2% by midday at 7,425.62 as investors awaited the latest decision of the US Federal Reserve. US futures markets also pointed to a subdued open on Wall Street.
Magazine publisher Future fell 10%, adding to heavy losses yesterday, following Monday night's publication of a sell note on the company equity research firm Stockviews.
LARGE AND MID CAP RISERS AND FALLERS
Premier Inn hotel chain owner Whitbread shed 0.6% on the back of a 1.0% decline in first-quarter sales,...

Specialist media platform Future upgraded its outlook on full-year performance as first-half profits jumped and revenues more than doubled following continued growth in its media division.
'While the backdrop of an uncertain economic outlook remains, the Board anticipates the Group's performance for the full year to be ahead of its previous expectations,' the company said.
For the six months ended 31 March 2019, profit before tax rose to £8.9m from £3.3m a year earlier. Total revenues...

Zillah Byng-Thorne, Chief Executive Officer, bought 5,425 shares in the company on the 7th March 2019 at a price of 750.00p. The Director now holds 455,795 shares.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Future on Friday acquired MoNa Mobile Nations for an initial $55m expanding its reach in the US.
Mobile Nations was focused on consumer electronics, combining content, community and commerce to deliver shopping enablement solutions, with its key brands including Android Central, iMore, Windows Central and Thrifter, the company said.
Mobile Nations' brands had a monthly audience of over 40m technology enthusiasts and support consumers.
Mobile Nations achieved revenue of $16.4m and...

Specialist media platform Future said Tuesday it expected first-half results to be 'significantly' ahead of its expectations as strong momentum experienced in the first quarter of the financial year had continued.
The company said that while a great deal of uncertainty remained from the macro-economic environment in terms of second half outcome, the strong trading in the first four months of the financial year 'means that the board now expects the outcome for the full year to be...

Zillah Byng-Thorne, Chief Executive Officer, bought 13,050 shares in the company on the 28th November 2018 at a price of 536.25p. The Director now holds 450,370 shares.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Penny Ladkin-Brand, Executive Director, has transferred in 97,960 shares in the company on the 23rd November 2018 at a price of 0.00p. The Director now holds 405,112 shares.
NOTE: Vesting
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Zillah Byng-Thorne, Chief Executive Officer, has transferred in 195,919 shares in the company on the 23rd November 2018 at a price of 0.00p. The Director now holds 437,320 shares.
NOTE: Vesting
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Future said Friday annual pre-tax profit swelled on strong revenue growth as acquisitions helped bolster performance in its media segment.
For the 12 months ended 30 September, pre-tax profits rose to £4.2m from £0.2m a year earlier and revenue rose 48% to £124.6m.
The company's media revenue rose 88% to £64.2m, underpinned by further diversification through acquisitions and organic growth across all regions, the company said.
Online Revenue Per User, a key metric, had increased in both...

Penny Ladkin-Brand, Executive Director, sold 55,000 shares in the company on the 24th September 2018 at a price of 450.00p. The Director now holds 307,152 shares.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Penny Ladkin-Brand, Executive Director, has transferred in 129,137 shares in the company on the 5th September 2018 at a price of 0.00p. The Director now holds 252,152 shares.
NOTE: Vesting
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Specialist media company Future said Wednesday that it had acquired the business-to-consumer business of Purch. 'This acquisition substantially strengthens Future's presence in the US market, boosting our scale and momentum while further diversifying our revenue streams. Purch B2C's leading brands also give us market leadership in the highly attractive consumer technology market,' said Zillah Byng-Thorne, Future plc's Chief Executive.
'In addition, its data driven content model is highly...

Specialist media platform Future Monday said it expected full-year earnings to top market expectations as positive performance from World Cup related campaigns and larger-than-expected product launches bolstered performance.
Trading for the year in the group's core operations had been stronger than the management's previous expectations, while the integration of the Newbay and Haymarket titles were trading in line with expectations, the company said.
'We continue to grow our audiences and...

Alan Newman, Non Executive Director, bought 5,000 shares in the company on the 20th July 2018 at a price of 494.90p. The Director now holds 5,000 shares.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Richard Huntingford, Chairman, bought 14,000 shares in the company on the 18th July 2018 at a price of 492.50p. The Director now holds 28,000 shares.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Richard Huntingford, Chairman, bought 14,000 shares in the company on the 20th July 2018 at a price of 492.50p. The Director now holds 14,000 shares.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Specialist media group Future said it had agreed to acquire US digital media publisher Purch for $132.5m (£100.1m), to be funded via a deeply-discounted rights issue.
New shares in Future would be issued at 330p each to raise around £105.7m, representing a 43% discount to their closing price on Tuesday.
Purch was a business-to-consumer publisher focused on consumer technology and science.
Its acquisition would significantly strengthens Future's presence in the US market and diversify its...

Future said it had acquired US-based information and events business Newbay Media for up to $19.4m.
The deal included an initial payment of $12.25m (£8.62m) in cash and $1.55m (£1.09m) in shares.
A further potential deferred consideration of up to $5.60m (£3.94m) was payable in January 2019, depending on the future performance of the business.
'This acquisition strengthens our presence in the US, and together with our recent UK acquisition expands our market leadership in music and...

Specialist media group Future said it had appointed Alan Newman as a non-executive director.
Newman would also become chair of the company's audit committee.
He had previously served as chief executive of YouGov and held senior media and technology roles at EY and KPMG.
At 1:39pm: (LON:FUTR) Future PLC share price was -16p at 384p
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Future will hold its annual general meeting at its London office, 1-10 Praed Mews, London, W2 1QY on 5 Feb at at 10.30 a.m.
At 8:10am: (LON:FUTR) Future PLC share price was +8.13p at 393.13p
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Future has appointed Richard Huntingford as a non-executive director and chairman-designate with immediate effect.
He will succeed Peter Allen as chairman on 1 Feb.
Allen announced his intention to step down in October. Huntingford has been involved in the media sector for more than 30 years and has held a number of executive and non executive roles in listed and private businesses.
These include: chairman of Wireless Group (formerly UTV Media); founder of Heart FM; CEO of Chrysalis...

Zillah Byng-Thorne, Chief Executive Officer, sold 193,000 shares in the company on the 29th November 2017 at a price of 350.74p. The Director now holds 145,171 shares.
NOTE: Sale to cover tax liabilities arising from vesting &amp; issue of award.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.directorsholdings.com

Zillah Byng-Thorne, Chief Executive Officer, sold post-exercise 26,333 shares in the company on the 29th November 2017 at a price of 350.74p. The Director now holds 282,149 shares.
NOTE: Sold to meet tax liabilities etc.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.directorsholdings.com

Zillah Byng-Thorne, Chief Executive Officer, exercised 193,000 shares in the company on the 29th November 2017 at a price of 0.00p. The Director now holds 308,482 shares.
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
Director deals data provided by www.directorsholdings.com

Future's senior non-executive director Manjit Wolstenholme has died.
Chairman Peter Allen said: 'We are all shocked by this tragic news and our thoughts are very much with Manjit's family at this deeply distressing time.
'Manjit has been a tower of strength and support to me and my colleagues, both personally and professionally, for many years.' The company said the board would review the senior non executive director position in due course.
At 9:29am: (LON:FUTR) Future PLC share...

Future, the global platform for specialist media, reports strong full year results with revenue up 43% to £84.4m.
Media division revenue rose by 43% to £34.1m (2016: £23.9m) in the year to the end of September of which 34% was organic growth with recurring revenue streams now representing 27% (2016: 25%) of the total.
eCommerce increased 107% year-on-year to £8.9m; events grew 58% year-on-year to £5.2m, bolstered by acquisitions of £1.6m and digital display grew 21% year-on-year to...

Future has confirmed that the Company intends to announce results for the year ended 30 September on 24 November.
At 1:42pm: (LON:FUTR) Future PLC share price was +1.88p at 364.88p
Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Prices quoted have a delay of at least 15 minutes. You may receive a different price (which may be higher or lower) when an instruction is executed. Though all reasonable efforts are made to present accurate data, Equiniti Financial Services Limited and third party data providers accept no responsibility for the correctness, completeness or accuracy of the data provided.
Where past performance details are included this is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Short-term past performance of less than one year is a particularly unreliable indicator.